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Upon arrival at Fort Reno, the Northern Cheyenne met Colonel Ranald S. "Three Fingers" McKenzie, Indian Agent John D. Miles, and were reacquainted with their southern relatives. But things did not go well between Indian groups. When the Southern Cheyenne invited their cousins to feast, they served only watery soup - poor rations, but probably all they had to share.
Some Northern Cheyenne complained that the Southern Cheyenne received more provisions and help from the government. To Morning Star and his band, Indian Territory did not have enough food or drinking water, it was dusty and hot, and home to malaria-carrying mosquitoes. While two-thirds of the Northern Cheyenne assimilated with the Southern Cheyenne, Morning Star set up camp apart from the larger group and complained about his band's misfortunes.
To be sure, life in Indian Territory was difficult. Upon reviewing the conditions in which Morning Star's group of Northern Cheyenne were living, both Lawton and McKenzie petitioned their superiors for more food and medicine. By this time the unassimilated Northern Cheyenne believed they had been tricked into moving south and distrusted the government. As the summer of 1878 approached, conditions seemed desperate; there was another devastating malaria epidemic and an outbreak of measles.
On September 9, 1878, in the middle of the night, 297 hungry, sick, and embittered Northern Cheyenne fled Indian Territory. In a desperate attempt to return to their upper plains homelands, they left behind possessions, lodges, warm fires and more than half the people with whom they had come south.
Less than a hundred fighting men were among the escapees who rode north. They traveled mostly at night and stayed only a few steps ahead of the pursuing cavalry troops. Because there were not enough horses to carry all the Indians, the group split into smaller bands so they could hide more easily. Often younger men rode ahead, capturing horses and killing cattle for meat whenever possible.
Settlers Killed in Raids
It was during these raids that some young warriors - eager to test their prowess and bravery - ultimately cost many of Morning Star's Northern Cheyenne their lives. Historian Peter J. Powell asserted in his book, Sweet Medicine, that tribal leaders tried to keep tight rein on the young warriors. But, as the number of Indian dead increased because of travel hardships and military skirmishes, Indian raids on settlers' farms and camps became increasingly violent. As the Cheyenne moved north, these bands of young Indians killed as many as 40 whites.
According to Powell, "… the young men slipped out in small parties. One party discovered a cow camp ... Here they killed four white men and captured both horses and mules. More whites were killed as the young men scattered to capture more horses, guns, and cattle. They also took bedspreads, blankets, and dresses for the women, as well as some pretty pictures for the smaller children. There were several skirmishes with settlers and cowboys, and more whites were killed. Food was captured from a store. Several houses were burned within three miles of Dodge City. Sheep herds were scattered. Cattle were captured and driven into camp, where they were quickly butchered to feed the hungry people."
Although these raids supplied provisions, the killings made life much more difficult for the entire band. Each incident strengthened the resolve of the government and citizens to capture and punish this group of defiant Indians.
Every night the Northern Cheyenne moved north, choosing the roughest route possible to slow the pursuing cavalry. With fall approaching, the exhausted fugitives reached Nebraska; they forded the Platte River, crossed the Union Pacific railroad tracks and headed for the Sandhills. By this time, the escaped band had lost more than 30 people. Some had died in battles with pursuers, or from starvation and exhaustion; others had split from the larger band, trying to make their own way north. The young and old were weak, and all wore tattered clothing that offered little protection from the elements.
In his book, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Dee Brown asserts that Morning Star feared for the safety of his people and argued, "They should go to Red Cloud's agency and ask Red Cloud to give them food and shelter against [the winter]. ... Many times they had helped Red Cloud when he was
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